62-861: The Middlesex Guildhall is a historic court building in Westminster which houses the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council . The building stands on the south-western corner of Parliament Square , near the Palace of Westminster . In 1970, the building was listed Grade II* . Constructed in the early 20th century, the building was designed by Scottish architect J. S. Gibson and sculpted by British artist Henry Fehr . The guildhall
124-512: A dozen monks in Dunstan's original foundation, up to a maximum of about eighty monks. Most of the parishes of Westminster originated as daughter parishes of St Margaret's parish , in the City and Liberty of Westminster , Middlesex . The exceptions to this were St Clement Danes , St Mary le Strand and possibly some other small areas. The ancient parish was St Margaret ; after 1727 this became
186-667: A geographical area at all; employed especially in the phrase "Westminster Village gossip", it denotes a supposedly close social circle of members of parliament, political journalists, so-called spin-doctors and others connected to events in the Palace of Westminster and in Government ministries. The area has a substantial residential population. By the 20th century Westminster saw rising numbers of residential apartments with wealthy inhabitants. Hotels, large Victorian homes and barracks exist near to Buckingham Palace . Westminster hosts
248-637: A panel of five justices. More than five justices may sit on a panel where the case is of "high constitutional importance" or "great public importance"; if the case raises "an important point in relation to the European Convention on Human Rights"; if the case involves a conflict of decisions among the House of Lords, Judicial Committee of the Privy Council , or Supreme Court; or if the Court "is being asked to depart, or may decide to depart from" its (or
310-549: A referendum without the permission of Westminster, as questions around independence qualify as "reserved matters" (reserved to the central government) under the Scotland Act 1998 . Nicola Sturgeon , the then-leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party , regarded the decision as "a hard pill for any supporter of independence... to swallow" but reiterated the party's commitment to "find another democratic, lawful means for Scottish people to express their will". From
372-600: A salmon and various proofs that the consecration had already occurred. Every year on 29 June, St Peter's Day, the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers presents the Abbey with a salmon in memory of this event. A charter of 785, possibly a forgery, grants land to the needy people of God in Thorney, in the dreadful spot which is called Westminster . The text suggests a pre-existing monastic community who chose to live in
434-474: A select committee of the House of Lords scrutinised the arguments for and against setting up a new court. The Government estimated the set-up cost of the Supreme Court at £56.9 million. The first case heard by the Supreme Court was HM Treasury v Ahmed , which concerned "the separation of powers", according to Phillips, its inaugural President. At issue was the extent to which Parliament has, by
496-618: A separate administration from the other courts of the United Kingdom, under a Chief Executive who is appointed by the Court's president. King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee In Scotland,
558-463: A stranger in tattered foreign clothing over the Thames to Thorney Island . It was a miraculous appearance of St Peter , a fisherman himself, coming to the island to consecrate the newly built church, which later developed into Westminster Abbey . He rewarded Edric with a bountiful catch when he next dropped his nets. Edric was instructed to present the king and St. Mellitus, Bishop of London , with
620-531: A very challenging location. The recorded origins of the Abbey (rather than a less important religious site) date to the 960s or early 970s, when Saint Dunstan and King Edgar installed a community of Benedictine monks on the site. Between 1042 and 1052, King Edward the Confessor began rebuilding St Peter's Abbey to provide himself with a royal burial church. It was the first church in England built in
682-461: Is consequently also used in reference to the Westminster system , the parliamentary model of democratic government that has evolved in the United Kingdom and for those other nations, particularly in the Commonwealth of Nations and for other parts of the former British Empire that adopted it. The term "Westminster Village", sometimes used in the context of British politics, does not refer to
SECTION 10
#1732766036482744-429: Is described by Historic England as Neo-Gothic with Flemish-Burgundian references. Initially serving as an administrative centre for Middlesex County Council and as a court of quarter session , it has undergone several iterations. The building later served as a Crown Court centre, until the establishment of the Supreme Court in the early 21st century. The site on the south-western corner of Parliament Square
806-616: The City of Westminster and its council as Westminster City Council . The City and Liberty of Westminster and the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster were very similar in extent, covering the parts of the wider modern City of Westminster south of the Oxford Street , and its continuations Hyde Park Place. The exception is that part of Kensington Gardens , south of that road, are part of Paddington . Westminster merged with St Marylebone and Paddington in 1965, but
868-663: The Court of Session . The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal in relation to Scottish civil cases. However, the High Court of Justiciary is the highest court of appeal in relation to Scottish criminal cases. The Supreme Court also determines devolution issues (as defined by the Scotland Act 1998 , the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and the Government of Wales Act 2006 ). These are legal proceedings about
930-824: The High Commissions of many Commonwealth countries: Within the area is Westminster School , a major public school which grew out of the abbey, and the University of Westminster , attended by over 20,000 students. Supreme Court of the United Kingdom The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ( initialism : UKSC ) is the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom for all civil cases and for criminal cases originating in England , Wales and Northern Ireland . As
992-640: The House of Lords to carry out its judicial business as the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords . Its jurisdiction over devolution matters had previously been exercised by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council . The creation of a Supreme Court for the United Kingdom was first proposed in a consultation paper published by the Department of Constitutional Affairs in July 2003. Although
1054-599: The Manchester Civil Justice Centre . The United Kingdom has a doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty and no entrenched codified constitution , so the Supreme Court is much more limited in its powers of judicial review than the constitutional or supreme courts of some other countries such as the United States , Canada and Australia . It cannot overturn any primary legislation made by Parliament . However, as with any law court in
1116-449: The Palace of Westminster , near the abbey, became the principal royal residence, a transition marked by the transfer of royal treasury and financial records to Westminster from Winchester . Later the palace housed the developing Parliament and England's law courts . Thus, London developed two focal points: the City of London (financial/economic) and Westminster (political and cultural). The monarchs moved their principal residence to
1178-459: The Palace of Whitehall (1530–1698), then to St James's Palace in 1698, and eventually to Buckingham Palace and other palaces after 1762. The main law courts moved to the Royal Courts of Justice in the late-19th century. The settlement grew up around the palace and abbey, as a service area for them. The parish church, St Margaret's Westminster served the wider community of the parish;
1240-613: The Peabody Trust founded by philanthropist George Peabody . Given the focus on Westminster in English and British public life over centuries, the name "Westminster" is casually used as a metonym for the UK Parliament and for the political community of the United Kingdom generally. (The civil service is similarly referred to using the name of the northern sub-neighbourhood which it inhabits, " Whitehall ".) "Westminster"
1302-625: The River Tyburn , yet Victoria Street and other small streets and squares had the highest colouring of social class in London: yellow/gold. Westminster has shed the abject poverty with the clearance of this slum and with drainage improvement, but there is a typical Central London property distinction within the area which is very acute, epitomised by grandiose 21st-century developments, architectural high-point listed buildings and nearby social housing (mostly non- council housing ) buildings of
SECTION 20
#17327660364821364-527: The Romanesque style. The building was completed around 1060 and was consecrated on 28 December 1065, only a week before Edward's death on 5 January 1066. A week later, he was buried in the church; and, nine years later, his wife Edith was buried alongside him. His successor, Harold II , was probably crowned in the abbey, although the first documented coronation is that of William the Conqueror later
1426-696: The United Nations Act 1946 , delegated to the executive the power to legislate. Resolution of this issue depended upon the approach properly to be adopted by the court in interpreting legislation which may affect fundamental rights at common law or under the European Convention on Human Rights. One of the most important cases presented to the Supreme Court was the joint cases of R (Miller) v The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland , known as Miller/Cherry , on Boris Johnson's unlawful prorogation (suspension) of Parliament, to suppress debate in anticipation of Britain's withdrawal from
1488-676: The West End cultural centre including the entertainment precinct of West End Theatre . The name ( Old English : Westmynstre ) originated from the informal description of the abbey church and royal peculiar of St Peter's (Westminster Abbey), west of the City of London (until the English Reformation there was also an Eastminster , near the Tower of London , in the East End of London ). The abbey's origins date from between
1550-575: The 7th and 10th centuries, but it rose to national prominence when rebuilt by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century. Westminster has been the home of England's government since about 1200, and from 1707 the Government of the United Kingdom . In 1539, it became a city. Westminster is often used as a metonym to refer to the Parliament of the United Kingdom , which sits in the Palace of Westminster . The City and Liberty of Westminster and other historical Westminster administrative units (except
1612-472: The City of London and Southwark were enfranchised. The growing Elizabethan city had a High Constable, Bailiff, Town Clerk, and a keeper of the ponds. Charles Booth 's poverty map showing Westminster in 1889 recorded the full range of income- and capital-brackets living in adjacent streets within the area; its central western area had become (by 1850) (the) Devil's Acre in the southern flood-channel ravine of
1674-607: The Constitutional Reform Act limits the number of judges on the Court to 12, though it also allows for this rule to be amended, to further increase the number of judges, if a resolution is passed in both Houses of Parliament. It assumed the judicial functions of the House of Lords , which had been exercised by the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (commonly called " Law Lords "), the 12 judges appointed as members of
1736-548: The Devolution Acts and the Human Rights Act 1998. On rare occasions the court may have original jurisdiction, normally in cases relating to contempt of the Supreme Court, such as Proceedings for Contempt: Mr Tim Crosland and its appeal case HM Attorney General v Crosland . The twelve justices do not all hear every case. Unless there are circumstances requiring a larger panel, a case is usually heard by
1798-514: The European Union (argued in 2016 and decided in 2017) and the cases of R (Miller) v The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland (argued and decided in 2019). The justices have never worn court dress during sittings. In November 2011, The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers allowed counsel to jointly agree to "dispense with any or all of the traditional elements of court dress" at sittings. The Supreme Court has
1860-403: The European Union, "frustrating or preventing the constitutional role of Parliament in holding the Government to account". It is one of only two cases that involved the presence of 11 judges (the highest number of judges currently allowed to rule on a case). The case carried a large amount of political tension in the context of the process of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union; for some,
1922-497: The House of Lords') previous precedent. The composition of panels is ultimately determined by the President. To avoid a tie, all cases are heard by a panel containing an odd number of justices. Thus, the largest possible panel for a case is 11 justices. To date, there have been only two cases (both involving matters of major constitutional importance) heard by 11 justices: the case of R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting
Middlesex Guildhall - Misplaced Pages Continue
1984-493: The Human Rights Act to amend the legislation by statutory instrument to remove the incompatibility or ask Parliament to amend the legislation. As authorised by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 , Part 3, Section 23(1), the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom was formally established on 1 October 2009 and is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom . Section 23 of
2046-480: The Middlesex sessions also had jurisdiction. Under local government reforms in 1889, the area fell within the newly created County of London , and the local government of Westminster was further reformed in 1900, when the court of burgesses and the parish vestries were abolished and replaced by the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster . The borough was given city status at the same time, allowing it to be known as
2108-595: The Quarter Sessions in 1972, it was used as a venue of the Crown Court . The Guildhall ceased to be operate as a Crown Court following the completion of new courthouses in London such as Harrow Crown Court , Isleworth Crown Court and Knightsbridge Crown Court in the 1980s and 1990s. The Middlesex Guildhall was closed for refurbishment in 2007 to convert it for use as the site of the new Supreme Court of
2170-534: The Supreme Court – The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal in the UK for civil cases, and for criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It hears cases of the greatest public or constitutional importance affecting the whole population. The Supreme Court hears appeals (i) in England and Wales, from the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) and (ii) in Scotland from
2232-405: The UK, it can overturn secondary legislation if, for an example, that legislation is found to be ultra vires to the powers in primary legislation allowing it to be made. Further, under section 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998 , the Supreme Court, like some other courts in the United Kingdom, may make a declaration of incompatibility , indicating that it believes that the legislation subject to
2294-599: The United Kingdom and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council . The Supreme Court, established in law by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 , started operations on 1 October 2009. After the government chose the Middlesex Guildhall as home for the new Supreme Court, it was realised that a great deal of work was required to renovate the building and adapt it to the new use. Renovation plans were developed by architects Feilden+Mawson LLP, supported by Foster & Partners. Conservation groups were concerned that
2356-721: The United Kingdom's highest appellate court for these matters, it hears cases of the greatest public or constitutional importance affecting the whole population. The Court usually sits in the Middlesex Guildhall in Westminster , though it can sit elsewhere and has, for example, sat in the Edinburgh City Chambers , the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, the Tŷ Hywel Building in Cardiff and
2418-482: The area began with the establishment of Westminster Abbey on a site then called Thorney Island . The site may have been chosen because of the natural ford which is thought to have carried Watling Street over the Thames in the vicinity. The wider district became known as Westminster in reference to the church. The legendary origin is that in the early 7th century, a local fisherman named Edric (or Aldrich) ferried
2480-503: The broader modern City of Westminster , a London Borough created in 1965) extended from the River Thames to the old Roman road from the City to western England, which is now locally called Oxford Street . {{{annotations}}} Thorney Island lay between the arms of the former River Tyburn at its confluence with the Thames, while the western boundary with Chelsea was formed by the similarly lost River Westbourne . The line of
2542-509: The civil parish of 'St Margaret and St John', the latter a new church required for the increasing population. The area around Westminster Abbey formed the extra-parochial Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter . Like many large parishes, Westminster was divided into smaller units called Hamlets (meaning a territorial sub-division, rather than a small village). These would later become independent daughter parishes. Until 1900
Middlesex Guildhall - Misplaced Pages Continue
2604-431: The combined area was allowed to keep the title City of Westminster . For a list of street name etymologies for Westminster see Street names of Westminster The former Thorney Island , the site of Westminster Abbey , formed the historic core of Westminster. The abbey became the traditional venue of the coronations of the kings and queens of England from that of Harold Godwinson (1066) onwards. From about 1200
2666-457: The context of their increased responsibilities, that the first Guildhall was inadequate for their purposes, and a second Guildhall, designed by F. H. Pownall in the neo-Tudor style, was constructed on the site in 1893. After the county leaders found that the second Guildhall was actually too small, the current and third Guildhall, designed by J. S. Gibson , was built between 1906 and 1913. The architectural historian, Nikolaus Pevsner , described
2728-473: The declaration is incompatible with one of the rights in the European Convention on Human Rights . Such a declaration can apply to primary or secondary legislation. The legislation is not overturned by the declaration, and neither Parliament nor the government is required to agree with any such declaration. However, if they do accept a declaration, ministers can exercise powers under section 10 of
2790-488: The design as "art nouveau gothic style". The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of nine bays facing Parliament Square; the central section of three bays which slightly projected forwards, featured an ornate arched doorway with a segmental arched window spanning the first and second floors and a tower above. A 17th century door, which had originally been part of the Tothill Fields Bridewell prison,
2852-825: The division of property between the Middlesex and London county councils, the guildhall at Westminster went to Middlesex in exchange for the Sessions House in Clerkenwell which went to London. In addition to being a facility for dispensing justice, following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888 , which established county councils in every county, the Guildhall also became the administrative headquarters and meeting place for Middlesex County Council . Middlesex county leaders decided, in
2914-535: The independence and impartiality of the courts at risk. Consequently, it was hypothesised closely connected decisions of the Law Lords to debates had by friends or on which the Lord Chancellor had expressed a view might be challenged on human-rights grounds on the basis that they had not constituted a fair trial. The Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury , later President of the Supreme Court, expressed fear that
2976-693: The local authority was the combined vestry of St Margaret and St John (also known as the Westminster District Board of Works from 1855 to 1887), which was based at Westminster Town Hall in Caxton Street from 1883. The Liberty of Westminster, governed by the Westminster Court of Burgesses , also included St Martin in the Fields and several other parishes and places . Westminster had its own quarter sessions , but
3038-520: The new court could make itself more powerful than the House of Lords committee it succeeded, saying that there is a real risk of "judges arrogating to themselves greater power than they have at the moment". The Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers said such an outcome was "a possibility", but was "unlikely". The reforms were controversial and were brought forward with little consultation but were subsequently extensively debated in Parliament. During 2004,
3100-620: The original fixtures and fittings. Save Britain's Heritage unsuccessfully contested the conversion. Westminster Westminster is a cathedral city and the main settlement of the London Borough of the City of Westminster in Central London , England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster , Buckingham Palace , Westminster Abbey , Westminster Cathedral , Trafalgar Square and much of
3162-401: The paper noted that there had been no criticism of the then-current Law Lords or any indication of an actual bias, it argued that the separation of the judicial functions of the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords from the legislative functions of the House of Lords should be made explicit. The paper noted the following concerns: The main argument against a new Supreme Court was that
SECTION 50
#17327660364823224-474: The parish ranked as a "City", although it was only a fraction of the size of the City of London and the Borough of Southwark at that time. Indeed, the cathedral and diocesan status of the church lasted only from 1539 to 1556, but the "city" status remained for a mere parish within Middlesex. As such it is first known to have had two Members of Parliament in 1545 as a new Parliamentary Borough , centuries after
3286-421: The planned conversion would be unsympathetic to such an important historic building. The Middlesex Guildhall is a Grade II* listed building , and the statement of importance by English Heritage classed the three main Court interiors as "unsurpassed by any other courtroom of the period in terms of the quality and completeness of their fittings" on 26 August 2004. The conversion works involved the removal of many of
3348-769: The powers of the three devolved administrations—the Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly , the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament , the Welsh Government and Senedd . Devolution issues were previously heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and most are about compliance with rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, brought into national law by
3410-537: The previous system had worked well and kept costs down. Reformers expressed concern that this second main example of a mixture of the legislative, judicial and executive might conflict with professed values under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . Officials who make or execute laws have an interest in court cases that put those laws to the test. When the state invests judicial authority in those officials or even their day-to-day colleagues, it puts
3472-427: The river still forms (with very slight revisions) the boundaries of the modern borough with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . Further north, away from the river mouth, Westminster included land on both sides of the Westbourne, notably Knightsbridge (including the parts of Hyde Park west of the Serpentine lake (originally formed by damming the river) and most of Kensington Gardens). Westminster includes
3534-415: The ruling "delighted 'Remainers' but appalled 'Leavers ' ", although some Conservative MPs who sought to withdraw from the EU with an agreement had opposed the prorogation. In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled on whether the Scottish Parliament had the power to legislate for a second independence referendum . In the case, the five-judge panel unanimously found that Scotland did not have the right to organise
3596-410: The same year. The only extant depiction of Edward's abbey, together with the adjacent Palace of Westminster , is in the Bayeux Tapestry . Some of the lower parts of the monastic dormitory, an extension of the south transept, survive in the Norman Undercroft of the Great School, including a door said to come from the previous Saxon abbey. Increased endowments supported a community that increased from
3658-402: The servants of the palace and abbey as well as the rural population and those associated with the high status homes developing on the road from the city. The area became larger and in the Georgian period became connected through urban ribbon development with the City along the Strand. Henry VIII 's Reformation in the early 16th century abolished the abbey and established a cathedral – thus
3720-540: The sub-districts of Soho , St James , Mayfair , Covent Garden , Pimlico , Victoria , Belgravia and Knightsbridge (shared with neighbouring Kensington ). The former City of Westminster merged with the neighbouring boroughs of Paddington and Marylebone in 1965 to form a larger modern borough. These neighbouring areas (except for a small area of Paddington in part of Kensington Gardens), lie north of Oxford Street and its westward continuation, Bayswater Road. The district's open spaces include: The development of
3782-411: Was installed in the basement of the building. The building was decorated with medieval-style gargoyles and other architectural sculptures by Henry Charles Fehr . Following the implementation of the London Government Act 1963 , Middlesex County Council and the Middlesex sessions were abolished in 1965, but the Guildhall continued to be used by the Greater London Quarter Sessions . After the abolition of
SECTION 60
#17327660364823844-420: Was originally the belfry of Westminster Abbey . The first guildhall , designed as an octagon with a Doric portico by Samuel Pepys Cockerell , was built for the justices of the City and Liberty of Westminster and opened as the "Westminster Sessions House" or "Westminster Guildhall" in 1805. In 1889 Westminster became part of the County of London , outside of the jurisdiction of the county of Middlesex . In
#481518